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A Historical Overview of the Impact of the Reformation on East Asia Christina Han

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A Historical Overview of the Impact of the Reformation on East Asia Christina Han Consensus Volume 38 Issue 1 Reformation: Then, Now, and Onward. Varied Article 4 Voices, Insightful Interpretations 11-25-2017 A Historical Overview of the Impact of the Reformation on East Asia Christina Han Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus Part of the Chinese Studies Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, Korean Studies Commons, and the Missions and World Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Han, Christina (2017) "A Historical Overview of the Impact of the Reformation on East Asia," Consensus: Vol. 38 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol38/iss1/4 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Han: Reformation in East Asia A Historical Overview of the Impact of the Reformation on East Asia Christina Han1 The Reformation 500 Jubilee and the Shadow of the Past he celebratory mood is high throughout the world as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Themed festivals and tours, special services and T conferences have been organized to commemorate Martin Luther and his legacy. The jubilee Luther 2017, planned and sponsored the federal and municipal governments of Germany and participated by churches and communities in Germany and beyond, lays out the goals of the events as follows: While celebrations in earlier centuries were kept national and confessional, the upcoming anniversary of the Revolution ought to be shaped by openness, freedom and ecumenism. In 2017, we aren’t just celebrating 500 years of the Reformation, but we are also reminded of the role the Reformation played in the development of the modern age ... What started in Wittenberg in the 16th century changed Germany, Europe and the whole world.2 The statement outlines the organizers’ desire to remember Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses and the ensuing flood of events not as an occasion of German national pride and Lutheran righteousness, but rather as a chance to celebrate religious and cultural tolerance, liberal and democratic ideas, and global community, summed up in the three words “openness, freedom and ecumenism.” The statement also presents the Reformation as a revolution, much like the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, that shaped the course of the modern world and downplays its religious connection. “Perspectives 2017,” a document produced by Luther 2017, introduces the Reformation as the beginning of the birth of culturally diverse Europe.3 Another organization that has taken leadership in the special commemoration of the Reformation is the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Around the theme “Liberated by God’s grace,” the LWF invites the Lutherans and Christians of other denominations to renew their commitment to the gospel’s liberating message preached 500 years ago by the great reformer Martin Luther. Inspired by Luther’s renunciation of the sale of indulgences, the LWF set up three subthemes – “Salvation not for sale,” “Human beings not for sale,” and “Creation not for sale” – to address the negative impact of consumerism on Christianity, human rights, and the environment.4 1 Christina Han is Assistant Professor of Asian History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford, Canada. 2 “Reformation Anniversary,” Luther 2017, accessed August 18, 2017, https://www.luther2017.de/en/2017/ reformation-anniversary/. 3 “Chonggyo kaehyŏk 500 chunyŏn: Rut’ŏ 2017,” Luther 2017, accessed August 18, 2017, https://www.luther2017.de/fileadmin/luther2017/material/Grundlagen/perspektiven-koreanisch.pdf. 4 “Reformation 2017,” Lutheran World Federation, accessed August 18, 2017, https://2017.lutheranworld.org/ Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2017 1 Consensus, Vol. 38, Iss. 1 [2017], Art. 4 Despite their different focus, it is evident that both the German state and the LWF have made conscious effort to connect the Reformation to the contemporary issues of the globalized world of the twenty-first century. Yet their explicit and deliberate efforts to distance themselves from the past celebrations of the Reformation characterized by German nationalism and Protestant supremacy remind us of the dark shadow cast over the joyous jubilee, a nightmare both the state and the church wish not to repeat. Exactly one hundred years ago, in 1917, the 400th anniversary of the Reformation honoured the uniqueness and dominance of the German race and nation. Luther was heralded as the eternal German who embodied the true spirit and morality of the German race.5 Not long after, the Lutheran Church in Germany collaborated with the Nazi regime, and in keeping with the political ideology of ultra-nationalism and anti-Semitism, members of the church called for the completion of Luther’s Reformation by which was meant total and complete eradication of Jewish elements from Lutheranism and the transformation of Christ into the supreme Aryan warrior.6 We are reminded that ecumenism as well as the foundation of the Lutheran World Federation were consequences of the endeavours to make up for the horrors committed during WWII. The deliberate distancing from this past by the German state and the Lutheran church is certainly understandable. At the same time, however, their intentional reinterpretation of the Reformation in light of globalism and environmentalism raises the question whether this is yet another instance of the church succumbing to the rhetoric of contemporaneity and relevance. Has the Reformation indeed cut its ties with the history of nationalistic Protestant pride? How global is this message of globalized Reformation? Can the Reformation speak against the ills of rapid modernization while being recognized as a revolutionary force in the modernizing process? The truth is, despite the claims of global impact, the history of the Reformation’s influence on non-Western world has not received due attention. To fill this gap in the current scholarship and to assess the influence of the Reformation outside of Europe, this paper investigates the history of the Reformation’s effects in East Asia, more specifically, the changing discourse of the Reformation in the region from the nineteenth through the twenty- first century. It explores the different ways in which Christians and non-Christians of China, Japan, and Korea came to interpret the Reformation based on their unique historical experiences. The tensions and incongruities in their understandings reveal that the Reformation was and continues to be a contested history and discourse in the region. On the whole, the discussion of the Reformation in East Asia over the past three hundred years makes evident the persistent influence of the Reformation discourse in its modern, capitalist and nationalistic forms as well as recent attempts to challenge and overcome that influence. 5 W.R.A. Klän, “Reformation Jubilees: Is There Cause for Celebration in 2017? – What Remains?” HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 71, no. 3 (2015), 5. 6 Lena Berggren, “Completing the Lutheran Reformation: Ultra-Nationalism, Christianity and the Possibility of ‘Clerical Fascism’ in Interwar Sweden,” Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions 8, no. 2 (2007), 308- 309. http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol38/iss1/4 2 Han: Reformation in East Asia Keeping Out the Ghost of Luther: Introduction of the Reformation through Catholic Missionaries (pre-nineteenth century) The Reformation did not have as powerful and extensive an impact in East Asia as it did in Europe. To the people of East Asia, at least initially, the Reformation was a foreign event, taught by Western missionaries whose lives were directly and indirectly transformed by the sixteenth century religious and political revolution. The forceful waves of change resulting from the Reformation swept across Europe and also reached far to the Catholic mission fields overseas. By the sixteenth century, Catholic missions established a visible presence in China and Japan. Franciscan missionaries entered China in the late thirteenth century and were active throughout the fourteenth century. The Jesuit mission in China started in the late sixteenth century and enjoyed great success. In Japan, Spanish and Portuguese Jesuits were active in the mid- sixteenth century. Thanks to Francis Xavier (1506–1552)’s aggressive proselytization, the number of churches and converts grew significantly throughout Japan. The sixteenth century Catholic missionaries in China and Japan were keenly aware of the troubles faced by their church back home as a result of the Reformation movement. They did not openly discuss the Reformation in their mission fields, but like a taboo or like a dark cloud hanging over them, the “ghost of Luther” began to affect the Catholic missions in East Asia.7 In reaction to the Reformation, the Catholic Church strengthened its commitment to the importance of good works as opposed to Luther’s idea of justification by faith. It also reaffirmed the authority of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible and denounced the translation of the Bible into other languages advocated by Protestant reformers. Both moves by the church affected the Catholic missions overseas which, with rekindled passion, pursued aggressive proselytization as a way to counter the growing Protestant influence. The Jesuits in Japan, for instance, regarded “Lutheranism” as a catchall term for Protestant
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